(Prepared from a situation suggested by Professor John W. Hardy.) Lone Star Meat Packers is a major processor of beef and other meat products. The company has a large amount of T-bone steak on hand and is deciding whether to sell the T-bone steaks as they are initially cut or process them further into filet mignon and the New York cut. If the T-bone steaks are sold as initially cut, the company figures a 1-pound T-bone steak yields the following profit: Selling price ($8.80 per pound) Less joint costs incurred up to the split-off point where T-bone steak can be identified as a separate product Profit per pound $ 8.80 1.70 $ 7.10 If the company further processes the T-bone steaks, then one 16-ounce T-bone steak will yield one 6-ounce filet mignon, one 8-ounce New York cut, and two ounces of waste. It costs $0.17 to further process one T-bone steak into the filet mignon and New York cuts. The filet mignon can be sold for $13.00 per pound, and the New York cut can be sold for $9.65 per pound.